25th March 2012, Philippi & Delt area of Cape Town

Hi!!

As for My favorite scripture, I have way too many favorites! I hope this one isn't too long but I really love these few verses! Mosiah 2:20-24! It's Awesome!

Ya you can just send the cd's from General Conference. I’m just going to put them into a cd case thingy that zips up once I get them, so that sounds fine. All of that Church tuneage music is on your terra bite hard drive. I can't remember the exact folder, but I had found it before, in you’re backed up stuff, so it’s in there somewhere! I would really love that music!

 I actually miss the snow... I know that sounds crazy but looking at the pictures makes me miss the snow... Also send me a pic of Kim’s new car! ANONA and RILEY HAVE A HOUSE?!?!?!? THAT’S CRAZY! That so awesome! I'm excited for them! It looks really nice! Where is it? Okotoks? That’s awesome! Also I’m really grateful for all of the snail mail letters. I'm sorry I have not sent anything back yet! I will try to do that this week! I love you all!

I am really short on time this week! But there are definitely a few highlights about this week! One of the biggest highlights is that as we were driving to an appointment, there was a black guy in the township standing on the side of the road and he was wearing a "Vote for Pedro!" Shirt! Oh man that made my week! So awesome!!! I gave him a thumbs up and he thumbs upped me back! Too cool for school! (Those readers that are confused inside joke)

 This week was my last full week with Elder Beck, he goes home on Thursday, and I get a new companion on Wednesday! I am crazy excited! I am not training, thank goodness, and I’m fairly sure that I am staying here in Philippi and Delft, so I just am waiting to know who my new companion is! Woot!!! I'm super excited! I really hope I’m not killing another missionary, because that would kill me! We I'm just stoked for transfers! I am so grateful for all the support I get every week! Thank you Grandma and Grandpa! I appreciate it! By the way my toe is all healed up for anyone who was wondering... Back to normal!

 

People use the internet on computers in the Internet Cafe. Large storage box.

Did service this week, we scraped and sanded Bishop's Internet Café shop so that another day we can paint it! That was kinda fun! dusty...

Thats Sister Bishop in the picture by the door, and all the other elders helping scrape and sand the Container down! I'm taking the picture... It was super sketchy having my camera out in the open in the middle of the township! But I didn't get mugged! Woot!

The area has actually being progressing well these past couple weeks! Anda, a 17 yr old investigator, came to church this week which is awesome, and he is progressing super fast! He is definitely getting baptized in April, we just don't have a date set for him yet... Sister Sibiya is also progressing alright, she just can't understand the old english that the Book of Mormon is written in... so I might just have to go out of my way and order a Xhosa Book of Mormon for her... Then  Blessing and Munashe are doing really really good! They are for sure getting baptized on the 15th of April! I'm stoked!!!!

We have been focusing a lot of our time and labour, as we have been directed, on less-actives and Recent converts... That type of work is probably the most frustrating, because you put so much work in, and a lot of time they don't pick up and go to church... but we still try and try! We have had good success with one member who hasn't been to church in years and he has been there for 3 weeks in a row now!!! Which is awesome! because our ward is in desperate need of priesthood holders!

 The weather is still hot and I’m still loving it! Although when I see pictures of back home and my family quadding, I do miss the snow... but I'll see snow the rest of my life! I may as well enjoy the constant luxury of +20 and up weather! woot! I'm slowly getting a hang of Xhosa language, but I have a long long ways to go! I made muffins this week! and they are delicious! I have them for breakfast every morning! So life is still great!

Woot! OH YAH!!! We had a soccer game this week! Missionaries against the Elders Quorum! Turns out we slaughtered them! 6-3!! That was the first time in history that the missionaries had ever beaten the elder’s quorum in the Khayelitsha ward! Just made history this week! Boom! I was kind of sad though, I was shafted by all the black elders into playing goal keeper for one half then defender for the second half... I only played mid fielder for 10 mins... but oh well! Another time! I'm just stoked to be in a country where they love soccer SO MUCH!!!! Everybody plays soccer!!! It's sweet! I knew I should have brought my soccer cleats... Oh well... maybe I’ll just get a cheap pair here... I love you all! Take care! Cape Town is Awesome!

-Elder Jones



19th March 2012 The Philippi & Delt area in the City of Cape Town

Here is the result of my toe surgery.

Hi,

Thanks so much for the pictures! Dad sent me a bunch! Tristan is so big!!!! Thats crazy! Can he talk yet? Thank you so much for doing all that work for me mom! I really appreciate it! I've been so blessed! Keep me updated on how the taxes turn out.

 About the memory card thing... I have three 4GB cards with me... 2 of them are full... one is full of talks, one is full of pictures and videos. I want to be able to keep all of my pictures here as well as send them to you guys because sometimes I like to look through my pictures. So I need either flash drives, or even an external hard drive... I'm going to try to clear up that one memory card by burning all those talks onto a DVD... but ya... that is my situation... I think a flash drive would be more effective for what I want to use it for... And once I get them, I will be sending you back a memory card with all the pictures and video's I’ve taken so far on it! okie dokie?

Sounds like you are super busy with school and work mom! That's good! besides the computer emails, I have received 4 snail mail letters from you. It is slow! Thank you so much I love you! I hope you get the pictures I’m sending you and that I have been sending you! Check dad's email every week ok?

My time is far spent (literally) so today might not be very long... This week was awesome!!!! I had an amazing week!! only 5 appointments all week dropped us! Which is amazing!!!! So I got to do a lot of teaching! We were told last week to not go out finding and to only have investigators if they are member referrals, but it's funny because since then we have had 3 new investigators and all are progressing! That’s more investigators than we had while we were trying to find people! Just shows the blessing that comes with obedience and faithfulness! Oh man I love my mission so much!

Have I ever mentioned how amazing the weather is here!?!?! On Thursday is rained, and it was so funny watching everybody wearing really big and thick coats! And everyone was freezing!!!! I was just walking around in my short sleeve shirt enjoying the rain! It probably got down to +15 as the coldest that day! and all the people thought I was crazy that I wasn't wearing a coat and that I was going to get sick and were wondering why I wasn't freezing! PAHA! I just keep telling everyone, "Canadians don't get cold!" But it’s so funny because anything colder than +18 is freezing to these people! I'm excited for winter! Although I know that this immunity to weather that I have is not going to last forever... my companion who is from Utah was wearing his coat because he was cold... So maybe at the end of my mission I will be effected by the weather, but for now I am loving it!

You guys are lucky that you are having a mild winter back at home! I swear, wherever I am the weather is poopy... and whenever I leave somewhere it just gets amazing! Like last summer when I moved up to Slave Lake to work and then back in Raymond there was the hottest most awesome summer that they have ever had! What’s with that?! It rained and was cold and windy all summer up north! Not fair! It's just me a think... Oh well, I’m a curse!

Any who, the work is awesome! It is almost transfer time! Elder Beck goes home in 2 weeks! So I’ll get a new companion soon! It's about time :P I think I am going to stay in this area though, I don't think they will white wash us... well I’m out of time... but hey! I love you all! I'm sorry I couldn't write more today but just know that South Africa is Awesome! And I have yet to go sand boarding... Also I am finally releasing a photo of my watch tan! And the progression of the surgery on my toe! Enjoy!

 

-Elder Jones

12th March 2012 in the Philippi & Delt area of Cape Town City

2012

Howdy everyone!!!

Well out here in the land of awesome, it's been pretty crazy! First off I think we are the first companions in the world to have ever gotten the command to stop finding investigators!! Crazy! We have been told that the amount of baptisms in the Khyalitsha ward has been too much to handle, and us missionaries have been told to stop tracking, or street contacting, or finding in any form! We are only to have new investigators if they are a member referral. So we are to work with less-actives, recent converts, and ward members! So it is more relaxing but still stressful because we are now dealing with people who have problems instead of people wanting to know the truth. It is also kind of a bummer because teaching investigators is a lot of fun! But oh well... that is what we are to do... I'm not complaining!

Fun fact! My mission has the most diverse range of Elder Nationalities other than Temple Square mission! We have 24 different nationalities of elders! Pretty sweet! I added Canada when I got here! But ya! This week has been very interesting!

I had surgery on my toe because of my ingrown toe nail! That was hectic! The doctor cut a big hunk out of my toe! So I have it all wrapped up right now and I have 3 stitches also! :) I got a video of it! And pictures! It’s pretty sweet! But that isn't going to stop me from going golfing today! I'm stoked!

It's Elder Beck's B-day tomorrow so we are going golfing today! Just at a little par 3 course. It'll be fun though! I am also going to buy some souvenirs today! I really want to buy an ostrich egg! They are sweet! They put cool designs and stuff on them! And I want a few things made from animal skin... I already have a scripture case and a mini book of Mormon made from animal skin! I also apologize for not showing my watch tan yet... I still don't think it is ripe enough... but when is it! You'll know it for sure!

The weather is great! The work is fantastical! And I have gotten a few letters from friends! I got your letter Holly! I was surprised that Dear Elder actually worked! I also got a package from Aunt Terri! Thanks so much! This week went by really fast! The time is just flying! Honestly! It’s crazy that I’ve been out for 3 months already! I am getting less bug bites these days so that’s good! I hope that didn't just jinx me! I don't have any wood to knock on!

Oh ya! We have 2 baptisms set for April 15th! They are pretty solid baptisms too so mark the calendar... but not really cause it still might not happen... ya never know... but it’s a father led family and we just taught them the big two! (Law of chastity and the word of wisdom) and they took it well! They had concerns with coffee, tea, and alcohol, but that’s normal with everyone we teach... but they committed to living them! So that’s sweet! I still don't know how firm their testimony is about the book of Mormon... I kinda have a weird feeling about that... but things are looking promising! It will be awesome to have a father led family! Elder Beck has not had one father led family baptized his whole mission! And he leaves for home this next transfer at the end of this month... so he misses out on this baptism which kinda sucks... but that’s ok! As long as it happened!

Well that is my update for the week!

I am so grateful for everyone’s support!

I love you all! Take care! Till next week!

Elder Jones

5 March 2012 in the Philippi & Delt area in Cape Town City

Sorry no pictures this week!

Hi,  

 To answer your question mom, I am not sick at all, the food is just normal.. .whatever I buy is the same as back at home and whatever I eat at appointments is just rice and chicken pretty much... so it’s not really anything to adjust to.. Which I don’t mind! It was great getting a lot of emails today actually, but it is getting hard to answer everyone though! Thanks for keeping me updated with everything mom and helping me out so much!

Well another week gone by! This week flew by!! I feel like I was emailing yesterday! I don't have much time to write in this blog today, but I will write a few cool events that happened! First off this week was better with appointments actually happening! There wasn't as many dropped appointments so I actually got to teach people this week! Also while tracking, Elder Beck and I met this lady and her brother who live at their mom's house (very common for older people to live at their parents house) and we started teaching them and then we went back to them this week and taught them the plan of salvation (the first half) and everything is going amazing with them! We were able to teach their mom and a friend as well and they all seem really interested! So I’m excited to see how things turn out with them! We can only teach them once a week though so it might happen slowly, but that’s alright! I'm just super excited to be teaching investigators again! It's nice!

There was a car accident that Elder Beck and I witnessed this week! It was pretty crazy and happened to the car just behind us actually. A taxi (they look like vans) collided with a car and the taxi flipped on its side. Pretty hectic! Just goes to show that missionaries are being protected! Also right after that we saw a drunken guy almost get hit by 2 cars as he was trying to cross the street, and after the second car was driving around him, the passenger opened his window and snatched something out of the hands of the drunken guy and drove off. Turns out that drunken guy viewed this thing that was snatched as really important because he grabbed on to the car as it was driving away and ended up letting go and rolling along the ground. Africa is a crazy place! I think Matt J. would really enjoy that story haha!

We are going to be playing mini putt today... kind of lame I know but we couldn't think of anything else... Maybe we will go to the driving range next Monday... don’t know yet... So how many people still read this blog? By the way, thank you for everyone who emails me and sends me letters! I really appreciate it! Don’t stop! I love getting post! It’s just always so exciting! I love you all! And I'm doing great! Oh yah! I have an ingrown toe nail, and on Wednesday I am going to the doctor and he might be ripping my toenail right off so that will be awesome!!! If he does I’ll definitely send pics! I love you all!

-Elder Jones